What Battery?

G'day All,

I picked up a Century N70 4WD battery this afternoon. It has CCA 760 and a two year warranty. When I brought it home and connected the terminals I noticed that the positive post had a v-shaped casting flaw on the top of the post. The flaw was on a side closest to the engine so it was difficult to see its full extent. When I lifted the battery out and turned it around the flaw spread from a 2-3 mm wide z shaped slash about 3 mm deep going down the full length of the post. It gouged out deeper and wider at the belly of the Z too.

Gee someone was not up on their quality control job that day at the factory. :mad: If at first you don't succeed...

By the way - should new batteries come charged these days? No it was not from a discount parts supplier either. The last time I did by a battery from one of these suppliers it was actually fully charged. While the new battery today sourced from a different supplier was not charged.

Kind Regards
Lionel

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lionelgee

G'day All,

By the way - should new batteries come charged these days? No it was not from a discount parts supplier either. The last time I did by a battery from one of these suppliers it was actually fully charged. While the new battery today sourced from a different supplier was not charged.

Kind Regards
Lionel

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Hello again.

Don't know the technical answer, but my last few batteries for the fleet and flotilla have either come from the RACQ mobile service or Repco. In each case they were already charged on delivery.

Cheers,

I have a century n70zz in mine and it came fully charged turns the 2.6 over easily:)

The Series 2.6 engine is easy to turn due to low compression compared to any modern engine of comparable size. It is easy to turn compared to the four, as the cylinders are smaller, and certainly much easier to turn than any diesel. The electric fuel pump ensures quick starting, even if it has been standing for a while. With a (by modern standards) low output alternator and low electrical load, and with the battery under the seat, the battery is going to have an easy life.

Conclusion - battery type is non-critical. If it fits the carrier and has poles where the leads will reach, it will be suitable.

I use a small solar panel on my tractor, which spends long periods not being used, and this ensures it always starts. I suggest this as a good idea if your Landrover is only used occasionally.

John

Hello All,

Okay I can be a little bit bombastic at times - something about my paying good money and receiving faulty, poor quality merchandise, it just seems to to get right up my nose. I figure that the person I bought the product off can go into any shop in Australia and buy any item to the value of the money I paid them and they would expect a good quality product from their money. So why should I settle for a faulty product? Especially since there was nothing wrong about the money I paid them.

I took the battery back to the supplier this morning and the first thing the sales person said was, "it must have been a Friday battery!" However, the battery I bought back was the only one they had in stock. I have to come back on Monday for a replacement battery. So three trips into town all together.

The battery will be mostly turning over a Holden 202 in my Series 3 LWB ute - Rebus. The battery will be infrequently used to turn over a 2.6 litre Land Rover six cylinder which will be be one day going into my Series 3 Fitted For Radio ex-army Land Rover. Just so it can keep oil circulating around the engine's system until it is ready to be fit into place.

Oh is it the solenoid being dead when the battery is fitted and the key turned and the ignition light comes on - without any accompanying sounds of the starter motor turning over. As in complete and utter silence. Not even one or two little "clicks" :eek:

Kind Regards
Lionel

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lionelgee

Hello All,

....
Oh is it the solenoid being dead when the battery is fitted and the key turned and the ignition light comes on - without any accompanying sounds of the starter motor turning over. As in complete and utter silence. Not even one or two little "clicks" :eek:

Kind Regards
Lionel

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Could be, but more likely a wiring problem or even the ignition switch. A test light or meter should pretty rapidly tell which.

John

Hello All,

All I wanted was a new battery; one that actually worked!

Well I received a telephone call this morning from the tyre seller in Bundaberg whom I bought my Century N704WD battery from at 4:30 pm last Friday. I had taken the battery back to the retailer on Saturday morning and I was told that I would have to wait until Monday morning and they would call me on the phone when the battery was ready. This morning - Monday, I was informed that they had taken the battery to the wholesaler that morning and they claimed the casting fault in the terminal was no casing fault at all. Apparently, according to them, I had cross wired the terminals to such an extent that the positive pole had melted all the lead in the battery and I was trying to cover up my mistake. The wholesaler refused to exchange the battery. So I had to go to the battery supplier who also sells tyres and drive to the battery wholesaler located at the other end of town.

After some discussion I was informed that if I had not cross wired the battery and had not short circuited it, then the battery seller must have done something and were covering their mistake up. So I drove back to the place that sells tyres and batteries and by this time the wholesaler had been in contact with them. Both wholesaler and retailer - the place that sells tyres claimed no fault. However, get this "to save face" the retailer said that the would replace the battery. Oh I had to wait over an hour before they could get the replacement battery, so that meant yet another trip.

I picked the battery up and put it into Rebus and turned the key. Vroom Vroom away Rebus's engine went. Now the new battery had pristine battery terminals - as one would expect a new battery should. Unlike the first battery which was also brand new but with a casting flaw in the positive terminal, which I turned the key and only the charge light came on.

So the same company sold the battery - the same company supplied the retailer with the same brand and model of battery. One battery had a casting flaw in the positive terminal and did not turn over the starter motor or even get the horn to do more than fluff. The second new battery with pristine terminals started at the first turn of the ignition. Now tell me whether I had done something wrong or whether manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers were just trying to cover their arses over a shoddily made product with zero quality control.


Next time I buy a new battery I am going to take the nice pretty plastic covers off at the retailer in front of them. Plus I will get them to test the battery in front of me. If anything is slightly wrong then the battery stays put. I have spent six trips from where I live on the outskirts of Bundaberg on a rural block to the place that sells batteries and tyres for something which should have taken one trip.

I am very happy to say that I have taken Rebus for a spin around the paddock and I like Land Rovers again :D.

Kind Regards
Lionel

Lionel,

Hello from Brisbane.

I think with that experience you should be in line for dispensation for dropping a few choice cuss words without penalty from the forum nazis.

That or a hug, but its a bit far from here to there.

Anyway your linguistic restraint is admirable and a short drive in the no re-charged truck appears to have worked a treat.

Had a similar but lesser experience a few years ago when Mrs S3ute and I were getting a bathroom renovated. The Scotch heritage took over and I elected to collect the bath tub to save the freight- loaded in the back of a carpeted wagon. On proudly depositing it at the builders feet he pointed out significant chipping of the enamel under the cardboard protectors. Back to the supplier goes the tub and me - and yes, it was pristine when it left the shop, so it must have been..... Had a builder waiting and finally, compromised on a replacement at wholesale price. Hard to argue when it gets down to your word against theirs.

Cheers,

Hello All,

Well knock me down with a feather; smear my ears with jam and tie me down to an ant's nest - I just had a telephone call from the Manager of the place that sells tyres and batteries. It was a personal apology accompanied with a statement of my total innocence.

The manager did say that a lot of people try to bring back products they have damaged through incorrect use and it makes them sceptical of what people claim to have happened. However, since Monday he has been investigating the battery and found that something untoward did happen at their shop and it was no fault of mine. To which the manager apologised for not trusting what I had said - that I did nothing wrong to the battery and it was like that when I brought it home. :eek: So my innocence has been proven - okay I knew that all along :angel:

I must admit that it took some guts for the manager to ring me up and personally apologise.

I can honestly say that it :wasntme: :)

Will I buy another battery from the store .... no :censored:ing way :cool:

Kind Regards
Lionel